Red Dwarf: Just The Franks Quickies Posted by Ian Symes on 30th January 2024, 11:01 What is it about that name?
The first character to appear in the novel multiverse is Frank Saunders, though we don’t learn his first name until chapter six.
The first character to appear in the novel multiverse is Frank Saunders, though we don’t learn his first name until chapter six. At this point it’s better to just assume that any character in the RD universe who has not had their first name explicitly referenced is called Frank – it just saves time.
At this point it’s better to just assume that any character in the RD universe who has not had their first name explicitly referenced is called Frank – it just saves time.
At this point it’s better to just assume that any character in the RD universe who has not had their first name explicitly referenced is called Frank – it just saves time.
Also, how do we even reconcile the fact that Cat refers to Frankenstein so negatively all the time when she was the ancestor of his entire species? I mean when he says he will look like “The Bride of Frankenstein” what exactly is he saying? I wouldn’t mind if it was just the one throwaway gag/reference but he makes 3 separate Frankenstein references over the course of the show and nobody else does. The part of me that desires greatly to headcanon everything is itching to try to explain it
Also, how do we even reconcile the fact that Cat refers to Frankenstein so negatively all the time when she was the ancestor of his entire species? I mean when he says he will look like “The Bride of Frankenstein” what exactly is he saying? I wouldn’t mind if it was just the one throwaway gag/reference but he makes 3 separate Frankenstein references over the course of the show and nobody else does. The part of me that desires greatly to headcanon everything is itching to try to explain it Well, Cat is not pious at all, so even though he knows Frankenstein is the name of the supposed mother of his species according to felis sapiens creation myth, he just regards that as boring religious trivia they tried to teach him as a kid. He doesn’t believe in the story, and he’s too self-obsessed to treat the idea of Frankenstein with any reverence, or even to pay attention as Lister is straight up confirming the story as true. Lister himself is the god of the cat people’s religion, but Cat makes it unambigiously clear that he couldn’t give a shit if he tried. But then, over the years Cat watches tons of the TV shows and movies available on Red Dwarf, and this informs all of his cultural reference points. So maybe the first time he saw something with the Mary Shelley Frankenstein, he thought “huh, like the holy mother”, but eventually that’s pushed to the very back of his mind, and the monster (or creator of the monster) becomes the first thing he thinks of when he hears “Frankenstein”. Kind of like if you said “Anne Hathaway” to someone, they might know that it’s the name of the wife of William Shakespeare, but there’s a strong chance the American actor will come to mind first and foremost.
In that early draft of the Ouroboros script G&T got hold of a few years ago, Gary Bleasdale’s character is named Eric. I love the thought of Doug remembering that was also the name of the dead guy in Tikka and so changing Scouse Eric to Frank!
Also, how do we even reconcile the fact that Cat refers to Frankenstein so negatively all the time when she was the ancestor of his entire species? I mean when he says he will look like “The Bride of Frankenstein” what exactly is he saying? I wouldn’t mind if it was just the one throwaway gag/reference but he makes 3 separate Frankenstein references over the course of the show and nobody else does. The part of me that desires greatly to headcanon everything is itching to try to explain it Well, Cat is not pious at all, so even though he knows Frankenstein is the name of the supposed mother of his species according to felis sapiens creation myth, he just regards that as boring religious trivia they tried to teach him as a kid. He doesn’t believe in the story, and he’s too self-obsessed to treat the idea of Frankenstein with any reverence, or even to pay attention as Lister is straight up confirming the story as true. Lister himself is the god of the cat people’s religion, but Cat makes it unambigiously clear that he couldn’t give a shit if he tried. But then, over the years Cat watches tons of the TV shows and movies available on Red Dwarf, and this informs all of his cultural reference points. So maybe the first time he saw something with the Mary Shelley Frankenstein, he thought “huh, like the holy mother”, but eventually that’s pushed to the very back of his mind, and the monster (or creator of the monster) becomes the first thing he thinks of when he hears “Frankenstein”. Kind of like if you said “Anne Hathaway” to someone, they might know that it’s the name of the wife of William Shakespeare, but there’s a strong chance the American actor will come to mind first and foremost. I appreciate such a Frank discussion.
On an old message board I was on around 1999, this observation led to a recurring joke/meme about people changing their names to Frank in a sort of Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario. (that last part was thanks to the latest Simpsons comic being a Hallowe’en edition containing a Body Snatchers parody, with a fourth-wall-breaking ending that would probably seem cliched now, but which blew my mind at the time)
On an old message board I was on around 1999, this observation led to a recurring joke/meme about people changing their names to Frank in a sort of Invasion of the Body Snatchers scenario. (that last part was thanks to the latest Simpsons comic being a Hallowe’en edition containing a Body Snatchers parody, with a fourth-wall-breaking ending that would probably seem cliched now, but which blew my mind at the time) Now there’s an idea
Oh Bra-franking-vo! *applause* The compilation and the memes in the comments. (Actually ‘bra-freaking-vo’ just sounds sarcastic, but I did mean this sincerely.) *Sirs and madam
Wait a damn minute. Does that mean that Hollister was never given a first name prior to Series VIII? Correct
